All members should know their rights under the contract.  We want to remind members of the following changes to our contract relating to winter weather:  

December 2017

Published by the Clearwater TRIF UNIT

CLICK to READ

While every grievance begins as a complaint, all complaints do not become grievances.  In order to know what complaints can be processed as grievances, you will need to refer to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Mercer County Community College and the Mercer Community College Professional Staff Federation  (You can access the Agreement on this site under “Resources”.)

As you will see in Article 13 of the contract, a grievance can arise from a violation, misinterpretation, or improper application of the Agreement.

The purpose of the grievance procedure is to provide for the speedy, orderly and equitable resolution of disputes. Inherent in the grievance process is the remedy sought which must be identified in order to make the grievant whole.  In selecting an appropriate remedy, it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of the remedy is restoration not retribution.  The remedy should be consistent with the collective bargaining agreement in order to protect the integrity of the contract.

If you feel that the conditions for a grievance have been met, please do the following:

1. Carefully document all facts including dates and times pertaining to the grievance and any discussions or meetings which have taken place.

2. Contact one of the Grievance Committee members listed below:

            At the West Windsor campus:

                        Marcia Galambos ext.   3725      galambom@mccc.edu      CM133

                        Nin May  ext.         ext.   3460      mayn@mccc.edu               AD209

            At the James Kerney campus:

                        Stacy Denton         ext.   3132      dentons@mccc.edu           KC146

                        Debra Lawrey        ext.   3154      lawreyd@mccc.edu           KC141           

Remember that there is a big difference between a gripe and a grievance.  A grievance is a formal challenge to the employer that the contract or College policy has not been followed.

Fortunately, most problems can be settled informally without filing paperwork.  But it is imperative that you contact your local leadership as soon as possible when you have reason to believe you have a grievance.  There are strict timelines for the filing process (which you will also find under the grievance article in the contract), and they start the minute the violation takes place.

If you are looking for a family gift idea this holiday season, A&R has set-up 3 bus trips to MLB baseball games for the 2018 season...3 good games.  We have the defending World Series Champion Houston Astros against the Yankees in late May and then the Astros against the Red Sox in early September...these are 3 of the 4 American League playoff teams from last year and the Astros also boast New Britain native George Springer in centerfield (who was the MVP of the 2017 World Series)...then we also have a Yankee/Red Sox game in late September!  We haven't purchased tickets for this rivalr

Comptroller Kevin Lembo today announced that his office, in partnership with the state's Health Care Cost Containment Committee (known as the HCCCC, where A&R has a seat at the table), has initiated a measure to block the unnecessary use of outrageously expensive specialty drugs - and is urging the Office of the Attorney General to investigate the alleged possible relationships between a drug manufacturer and its top dispensing pharmacies and prescribers.

It has been a solid 40 days since the 2017/18 State Budget was passed and there is a projected shortfall of $208 million by the end of the fiscal year.  The $208M represents more than 1% of the budget and therefore triggers budget mitigation authority to the Governor.  The Governor has limits on his authority to perform line-item budget rescissions but has a wide-array of tools to limit spending.  The Governor will be enacting mitigation steps soon.  

The Michigan Senate has hastily approved a set of bills that will further place children at risk, whether they reside in Detroit or DeTour Village in the Upper Peninsula. Our President Ivy Bailey has penned an op-ed that has been published in the Michigan Chronicle and The Detroit News.

Three committed Black male educators about the need for more men to enter the field of teaching. Each is a DFT member:

·         Terrence Martin, Detroit Federation of Teachers, executive vice president

·         Quan Neloms, Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, teacher  

·         Ben Dirden, Communication & Media Arts High School, teacher

A&R is proud to have once again participated with Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity.  For a third year in a row, A&R's members stepped forward, volunteering their time (and sweat equity) to help improve living conditions in our community.

A&R's 2017 Habitat for Humanity build particpants were: Vicky Bullock, John DiSette, Mike Myles, Ally Sexton, Lisa Smith, and Mike Smith.